Australia's ageing fleet of P-3 Orion aircraft have been working hard during Exercise Talisman Sabre off central Queensland, but future operations could have a different look with drones becoming a focus for the military.

The Australian Government says it is still interested in buying drones to help replace the fleet of border patrol aircraft.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is looking at replacing the P3 Orion with new Poseidon jet planes and the Triton drone.

The drone is still being developed, but Defence Materiel Minister Mike Kelly has confirmed the Government is interest in buying several of them.

"It's not a question of if or why, but what sorts of platforms and managing those in context of the defence capability plan," he said.

This week 28,000 US and Australian troops are taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre at Shoalwater Bay near Rockhampton, with a series of scenarios being played out in the skies.

Crews of the P-3 Orion are being put through their paces as part of the war games.

But future operations could have a different look, with drones becoming a focus for the military.

Defence officials say drones could revolutionise the way Australia's borders are patrolled.

Orion aircraft 'holding up wonderfully'

However, squadron leader Anton Vojkovic says while the Orion is on the way out, it still performs a valuable service.

"You really feel like a custodian of something really quite great," he said.

"These aircraft have been around since the 1980s - we're always adding more capabilities to them.

"Despite their age, they're holding up wonderfully.

"You look at the other maintainers and the other air crews that have gone before you in generating this capability and really feel like something special."

Drones to change maritime surveillance approach

In a speech at the Williams Foundation Seminar earlier this month, the Chief of the Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, said drones would change the way the ADF carries out maritime surveillance.

"With an endurance of up to 40 hours, we will be able to survey more of the maritime environment than ever before," he said.

"Its sensor suite and performance characteristics will allow the detection and identification of a vast number of surface contacts.

"We will be able to provide surveillance overwatch of maritime taskforces for periods far longer than previously able.

"In concert with the P8 [Poseidon], it will provide a maritime response capability exceeding what we are capable of today."

Drone capabilities questioned

But there are some concerns about the drone's abilities.

Nic Arthur, the manager of maritime capability with the Customs and Border Protection Service, told the same conference the drone may not be able to see the small wooden vessels most often used by asylum seekers.

"An additional seven aircraft would be terrific," he said

"[But] is a high altitude, long endurance UAV the best tool for providing detection of small wooden vessels? I think the jury is still out.

"If flying at a great altitude was going to provide us greater coverage we'd be doing that with the Dash 8 aircraft now."